Pyrrha

For Project Soul, Soulcalibur IV was deeply flawed. The developers admitted it to me. During a closed door meeting at E3, the developers said they didn’t like how their Critical Finish system upset the balance of the game. Players focused too much on the devastating blow rather than the other aspects of the fighting system.

From the sound of it, they’re seeking some redemption with Soulcalibur V. They’re treating the latest entry to the series as a complete reworking of the franchise complete with a new engine and an overhaul to the cast of characters.

Initially, Project Soul wanted to do a whole new group, but the developers settled on a mix of old favorites and fresh faces. This time around, Soulcalibur V focuses on two characters — Pyrrha and Patroklos, the daughter and son of Sophitia, respectively. The two were separated as children and grew up not knowing of each other. Early on, Pyrrha was kidnapped by Tira, the character with the circular sword, and raised by the Soul Edge-aligned fighter. Meanwhile, Patroklos grew up with Sophitia. (For thsoe who read those old Jademan comics as a kid, the whole drama reminds me of the early story in Force of Buddha’s Palm.)